A video can make a change easier to understand, remember, and act on when people are busy, distributed, or hearing the change from multiple sources. In change management, however, a video is not just a communication product. It is an adoption asset: a practical resource that helps people build awareness, understand impact, learn what to do next, and revisit the message when they need it [Prosci, 2026]. (prosci.com)

Used well, video supports the people side of change by making the “why,” “what changes for me,” and “what action is required” visible and repeatable. Used poorly, it becomes another broadcast message that tells people what the project team is doing without helping them change behavior. Prosci warns that change communications should focus on impacted people’s questions and concerns, not only project facts [Prosci, 2026]. (prosci.com)

Creating videos during a change means designing short, targeted multimedia messages that help an impacted group move through adoption. The video may be a sponsor message, a manager briefing, a process walkthrough, a “day in the life” scenario, a customer impact story, a reinforcement clip, or a quick answer to common questions.

Use video when the change is complex, visual, emotionally significant, behavior-dependent, or spread across locations and shifts. It is especially useful when employees need a consistent explanation that can be replayed, translated, captioned, or embedded in a learning path. It is less suitable as the only response to high resistance, sensitive employment impacts, or unresolved design concerns. In those cases, video should support live dialogue, consultation, and manager-led conversations, because effective employee voice requires channels where people can raise concerns and managers listen and act on feedback [CIPD, 2026]. (cipd.org)

Before scripting, confirm the change purpose, impacted groups, adoption behaviors, timeline, and known resistance points. Prosci’s 3-Phase Process emphasizes defining success, defining impact, and defining the approach before moving into change plans such as communications and sponsor plans [Prosci 3-Phase Process]. (prosci.com)

Decide who should appear in the video. Sponsors are best for the business reason and urgency; people managers are best for local impact and expectations; subject matter experts are best for how-to demonstrations. Prosci’s communication guidance stresses the importance of the right message, audience, channel, timing, and sender [Prosci, 2026]. (prosci.com)

Prepare a message brief, script, storyboard, brand or accessibility standards, captions plan, transcript, review workflow, hosting location, and measurement plan. Accessibility should be planned from the start, including captions, transcripts, visual descriptions where needed, and a media player that supports accessibility [W3C WAI, 2024]. (w3.org)

1. Define the adoption job of the video. Decide whether the video is meant to build awareness, create desire, explain knowledge, support ability, or reinforce use. ADKAR describes the building blocks individuals need for successful adoption: Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, and Reinforcement [Prosci, 2026]. (prosci.com)

2. Identify the specific audience and resistance level. A senior leader may need a two-minute alignment message; frontline employees may need a role-based walkthrough; managers may need talking points and anticipated questions. If resistance is high, use video to acknowledge concerns and invite dialogue, not to “sell harder.”

3. Write the message in plain language. Put the main point first, use everyday words, avoid jargon, and end with one clear action. The CDC Clear Communication Index is research-based and focuses on communication characteristics that improve understanding [CDC Clear Communication Index]. (cdc.gov)

4. Keep it brief and structured. For most change videos, aim for one idea per video and a practical length of about two to six minutes. Educational video research shows that shorter videos are generally more engaging, and Guo, Kim, and Rubin found median engagement was at most six minutes across videos in their MOOC data [Guo, Kim & Rubin, 2014]. (juhokim.com)

5. Reduce cognitive load. Use simple visuals, highlight key steps, remove decorative clutter, and show only what supports the adoption goal. Brame’s review recommends segmenting information, signaling important points, weeding out extraneous content, and matching visuals with narration to support learning [Brame, 2016]. (cft.vanderbilt.edu)

6. Add interaction outside the video. Pair the video with a manager discussion guide, short knowledge check, FAQ, or team prompt. Video should create sensemaking, not end the conversation. PMI recommends measuring comprehension and desired behavior change, then using feedback to adjust communications [PMI, 2015]. (pmi.org)

7. Pilot before launch. Test the video with a few representatives from the impacted group. Ask what they think they are supposed to do, what is unclear, what feels untrue, and what questions remain. Revise before broad release.

8. Launch through trusted channels. Embed the video where people already go for change information: manager meetings, learning journeys, intranet pages, collaboration channels, onboarding materials, or workflow tools.

9. Reinforce and refresh. During sustainment, use short clips showing early wins, common mistakes, or peer examples. Prosci’s sustain phase emphasizes reviewing performance, activating sustainment, and transferring ownership [Prosci 3-Phase Process]. (prosci.com)

A company is implementing a new customer relationship management system. The change manager creates three videos. The first is a two-minute sponsor video explaining why the organization is changing and what customer problem the system solves. The second is a manager-facing video explaining what team leaders should discuss in weekly huddles. The third is a four-minute screen-recorded walkthrough showing sales employees how to log a new opportunity.

Because the sales team is skeptical, each video links to a live Q&A and a feedback form. The change team tracks completion, quiz results, help desk themes, and actual system use after go-live. When data shows low use of one feature, they release a 90-second correction clip and ask managers to reinforce the behavior in pipeline reviews.

The change manager owns the adoption purpose, audience fit, message brief, review process, and measurement approach. The sponsor provides visible commitment and explains the business reason. People managers translate the message for their teams and create two-way discussion. Subject matter experts validate accuracy. Communications or creative teams improve production quality without adding unnecessary complexity. Accessibility, HR, legal, and compliance reviewers confirm the video is usable, appropriate, and safe to distribute.

Avoid producing one long video for everyone. Different groups usually need different levels of detail, and Prosci recommends targeted communication by audience, concern, sender, and phase [Prosci, 2026]. (prosci.com)

Avoid overproducing. A polished video with vague messages is less useful than a clear, timely, accessible video with a specific action. Avoid using video to bypass uncomfortable dialogue; CIPD emphasizes that genuine two-way communication requires listening and acting on feedback [CIPD, 2026]. (cipd.org)

Avoid measuring only views. A video can be watched without being understood or applied. PMI recommends measuring comprehension, behavior change, and post-deployment adoption indicators [PMI, 2015]. (pmi.org)

Useful measures include reach, completion rate, replay rate, transcript downloads, comments, questions submitted, manager discussion completion, knowledge-check scores, sentiment, and reduction in repeated questions. Adoption measures should include the behavior the change requires, such as system usage, process compliance, cycle time, quality, customer outcomes, or reduced workarounds. Post-deployment measures matter because people can revert to familiar ways of working after launch [PMI, 2015]. (pmi.org)

Opening: “Here is what is changing and when.”
​Why: “We are making this change because…”
​Impact: “For your role, this means…”
​Action: “Between now and [date], please…”
​Support: “Use [resource/channel] if you need help.”
​Feedback: “If this creates a concern or barrier, tell us through…”
​Close: “Thank you for helping us make this change work.”

Prosci. “5 Steps to Better Change Management Communication + Template.” Published March 31, 2024; updated May 21, 2026.
URL: https://www.prosci.com/blog/change-management-communication

Prosci. “Prosci 3-Phase Process.” Date not stated.
URL: https://www.prosci.com/methodology/3-phase-process

Project Management Institute. Jack P. Ferraro. “Measure twice, change once: practical strategies for change management.” October 10, 2015.
URL: https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/practical-strategies-for-change-management-9887

Brame, Cynthia. “Effective Educational Videos.” Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching PDF; related journal article published 2016.
URL: https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/59/Effective_Educational_Videos.pdf

Guo, Philip J.; Kim, Juho; Rubin, Rob. “How Video Production Affects Student Engagement: An Empirical Study of MOOC Videos.” ACM Learning at Scale, 2014.
URL: https://juhokim.com/files/LAS2014-Engagement.pdf

W3C Web Accessibility Initiative. “Making Audio and Video Media Accessible.” First published September 2019; updated September 17, 2024.
URL: https://www.w3.org/WAI/media/av/

CIPD. “Employee voice.” Factsheet. April 6, 2026.
URL: https://www.cipd.org/en/knowledge/factsheets/voice-factsheet/

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “The CDC Clear Communication Index.” Date not stated.
URL: https://www.cdc.gov/ccindex/